While renewable sources of energy are the way forward not only the State of Texas but for the rest of the Country as well, policy makers must choose carefully how we move forward to implement such policies. As they saying goes, "the devil is in the details." What this article fails to mention is how this proposal for solar incentives would be financed by a statewide fee on all utility payers across Texas, in essence financing it at the expense of some of the poorest Texans who are already struggling from high utility bills.

Solar is good energy policy. Giving big business, and residential tax credits at the cost of low-income rate payers is not good policy.

3:09 pm June 1, 2009

resourceguy wrote :

Next time this proposal should be timed to coincide with those massive efforts to kill coal power investments by Texas utilities. Timing is everything.

3:25 pm June 1, 2009

Bob Fahey wrote :

Hold, did a Democrat just shoot himself in the foot. Um, Yes, for whatever reason, democrats like to do that. All this moron had to do was SHUT UP and pass the bill. This is why voters need to remember things like this when it comes to elections. I'm not saying change to repuglican, I'm just saying this guy doesn't need to be reelected. Hold these turds responsible for their actions. A LOT OF JOBS were just lost because of this inept cretin.

3:46 pm June 1, 2009

MikeM wrote :

T.Boone Pickens is real disappointed with these law makers. No telling how much money he slipped into no telling how many pockets to get this passed.

4:12 pm June 1, 2009

Tom in Texas wrote :

I sense that this article is woefully lacking in details. Of course, the initial reaction of any sane reader would be to hunt down this moronic lawmaker...etc. but after the knee jerk reaction wears off, I want to know more...there has to be some rational reason for his delay?
The point lost here is that Texas has a very archaic legislative system, designed to produce as little work or progress as possible. They meet every 2 years for 6 months and generally make a mess of things, then go back to their Law Practices and/or lobby firm. The future demands a little more effort from these guys if we are to seriously attack our current problems. Or Not.....just pretend Texas is a Utopia like our pretty-boy Guvnor does.....

4:15 pm June 1, 2009

LJ Ruiz wrote :

To Houston Democrat Sylvester Turner: You have cost the State of Texas the great opportunity to boost the Soalr Industry in our Great State, and the opportunity to also take advantage of the full potential of the Federal Stimulus Money for Solar Installations for 2009 and 2010, that now will now go to other States that will harvest the full potential of this renewable energy. But have in mind that solar will happen and no thanks to you.

4:19 pm June 1, 2009

LJ Ruiz wrote :

Even though the incentive is finnanced by an increase in the utility rate, for residential this meant an increase of $0.20 which is nothign even for the poorest in texas, which usually spent a lot more in cigarretes and/or alcohol. Remember: " The cost of doing nothing is greater that doing something"

4:53 pm June 1, 2009

Toes wrote :

Texans, energycane is a far better investment. Sugarcane once was grown all the way from Sugarland's high class Malls to the coast and from there to both LA. and Mexico. Oil refineries are nothing compared to ethanol plants when it comes to generating revenue and energycane is a renewable source of energy or it don't deplete like crude and you don't have to drill in 5 mile deep water and then another 5 miles down into the ground. Also, the Fed's already has the legal vehicles in place for 80% financing so the State doesn't have to do the heavy lifting. For Texas the real money isn't in the wind and far from solar, the money is to be made by building $300 - $400 million ethanol refineries and growing the energycane to supply them.

4:56 pm June 1, 2009

Sun Dawgs in Texas wrote :

Sylvester. Bad ol puddy tat.

5:32 pm June 1, 2009

George in SA wrote :

The more I hear who is moaning about the bill's demise, the more I wonder if we dodged a bullet. The full benefits that we could have "harvested" as mentioned above are just a chunk of the Federal stimulus money, which hopefully y'all realize is just massive debt -- certainly not sustainable.

5:39 pm June 1, 2009

jaruma wrote :

To George in SA
Stimulus money will be utilized somewhere, is not a question of not using it in Texas... and now that the FEd Government has decided and we as a Tax Payer will have to pay it, at least we want to see the money to create new industries while reducing our dependance on foreign oil, or at least our dependance of fossil fuels as an energy use.

6:09 pm June 1, 2009

Gadsden wrote :

Fantastic! Let the free market work.

6:59 pm June 1, 2009

David wrote :

Are you crazy Gadsden? If we let the free market work here's what would happen. Someone would investigate the following options:

a. Have a solar system installed on their house that would give them 2000 kWh a year.

b. Improve the energy efficiency on their house and reduce their demand by 2000 kWh a year for 1/10th the cost of option a.

Unless the government massively subsidizes solar, people will choose option b. We can't have that!

11:24 pm June 1, 2009

esourceguy wrote :

The basic problem here is that the GOP was about to get some credit for a worthy cause. That means it had to be derailed until jackass dems get full credit for it alone.

9:53 am June 2, 2009

Lisa C wrote :

Thanks for sharing this story. It sucks that the bill didn't pass and only for political reasons. My wish for Texas legislators: Get over the politics and move good ideas forward quickly please!

11:30 am June 2, 2009

Jim in Austin wrote :

Where does all this UNFOUNDED FAITH IN GOVERNMENT come from? Just as we have separation of church and state, we should have separation of economy and state.

10:37 pm June 3, 2009

resourceguy wrote :

I don't think Texans really understand just how huge this mistake is. The lowest cost solar producers are competitive with wind power, but do not have the problems of waiting for grid investments to deliver the power. Think about that as monumental missed opportunity, because solar costs are coming down a lot faster than wind power or other sources. Also Texas could have steered the solar panel production biz away from California and even Europe with a big enough effort at this juncture in the industry evolution.

7:58 am June 16, 2009

GasGuy Houston wrote :

Solar installations will cost 20-30% less by 2011 so I think our friends in Austin missed the boat here. Instituting a rebate program would create some jobs in the industry (local) and gives the consumer some options when the CO2 tax starts showing up on our electricity bills.

10:34 pm June 18, 2009

Enraged wrote :

This is a BIG BLOW to TEXAS. Why is it that Texas seems to be left in the Stone Age on just about every aspect. This Includes SolarEnergy, Foundations,Support Groups and most important Help with Health Cost for the MIDDLE CLASS who now have no Health Insurance because the Ecomnomy is so bad. I was under the Belief we would see alot really Great things Happening for Texas now I'm Thinking I'm moving to another State or another Country.........

7:55 pm June 23, 2009

Mekhong Kurt wrote :

It's really disturbing that an elected official would derail such an important bill that enjoyed such widespread support on both sides of the aisle. Mr. Turner, what on earth were you thinking? Surely you knew the clock was ticking -- and you blew it for Texas until 2011. "Thanks."

Every organization needs funds and there are different techniques that can be used. With the first technique the nature of the nonprofit organization matters and onecan create awareness for events. There are nonprofits that can have weekly events for example gathering of members or seminar and the goal is creating awareness in regard to certain topics that are relevant socially. Some participation fee or entry fee can then be collected from the members.Sponsorship is also one of the techniques used by nonprofits. Corporate are expected to give back to the society through social responsibilities and many of the corporate are taking part in such activities. Consequently the non profits can offer the necessary help in that. The corporate can then offer sponsorship in different ways. For example it may be on the basis of per event or per month. Some corporate will meet certain expenditures. This meant that depending on the kind of help that is needed, hte best corporate to approach is one that is in a relevant field. A good example is when a nonprofit is in need of stationery and then it seeks for help from manufacturer or dealer in stationery.One the techniques used by nonprofits is branding of the organization. Non profits fall under the social sector therefore they can act as ambassadors for a brand of the organization that offers partnership or sponsorship. For instance, depending on the amount that a corporate sponsors you with, you can generate some posters for it. Having massive posters is recommendable when a corporate or organization sponsors your event fully. A further step can be taken whereby you a session during a seminar can be dedicated to promoting the sponsoring organization.To create and sell some products is one of the techniques used by non profits to raise funds and to brand. Bags and t-shirts can be made for a particular event. For instance, during the season for world cup, good t-shirts that support your country can be made. On its sleeve or its bottom right corner, you can put a small logo belonging to your organization. Generally, you will have some surplus after selling these items. You can promote the sale of your prodcts through websites or social networking or through blogs. The advantage is that you will not have incurred any costs in terms of investment.The fifth technique is appropriate for nonprofit that offer services. Some of the services that you can provide for corporate include event management, to promote campaign planning or even data entry. The best way when using this technique to raise funds is charging a fee that is not equal to that of the market. The members of the nonprofit gain valuable experience through this technique as they raise some funds for the organization. To plan and to implement Product promotion requires some strategic planning.Note that to raise funds is an art hen you are creative, are zealous and passionate, you will not experience difficulties and the ideal benefits are reaped.

Marketing for Introverts: The Introvert's Guide to Customer Relationships and Two-Way Loyalty

You probably wouldn't expect a topic as nerdy as email list maintenance to have an introvert dimension, but after an eye-opening exchange on a colleague's blog, I believe that's the case.My colleague mentioned that she periodically purges her email list of those who have not opened her emails or clicked on any of her links for several months. She said this is what leading Internet marketers taught her to do.As an introvert, I don't care what leading anythings recommend. I compare it to my experience and inner truths, and I know this advice is wrong.Two years ago, I got dropped from this colleague's email list. Maybe it was because there was a stretch of time when I wasn't reading any newsletters because I was too busy with an intense project. Yet that did not indicate true disinterest on my part. I have followed her for more than a decade, recommended her site countless times and done a few joint projects with her. When I got bumped off the list, I believed it happened because of a technical glitch. Now I see a gulf in expectations about relationships.Introverts are people who are not constantly standing up and waving their arms, "Look at me! Look at me!" We don't need our friends to wave back. We don't measure friends by how often we interact. We can maintain an attitude of liking and respect while rarely speaking up or directly reacting ourselves. We can maintain deep friendships in which long periods of time go by with no contact.Indeed, if my best friends (of 20+ years) shut me out because they hadn't heard from me in a few months, I would have no best friends at all. I'm glad that print magazines I subscribe to have no way of knowing that I might let them pile up for months, then read through them one after another during a weekend!I never assume that someone who did not wish to hear from me over a stretch of time never wanted to hear from me again - unless they tell me so. If that's true for personal relationships, it's just as true for business relationships. That's why I wouldn't clean my list in the way my colleague described. Someone who took the step of opting in to your list did so in good faith, with the expectation of being able to hear from you for a long time without anything being required in return. Those who opted in therefore deserve your continued respect.I wonder how many other experts have shut me off from communication because they had the mistaken impression that I wasn't paying attention. Keep in mind that any attention, even if it's occasional or rare, can leadf to referrals, sales, influence and all the other goodies marketers strive for.As an introvert, when you weigh marketing advice against what you feel in your bones to be true and act accordingly, you become stronger and more effective. Always. Don't just take my word for that, of course!

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About Environmental Capital

Environmental Capital provides daily news and analysis of the shifting energy and environmental landscape. The Wall Street Journal’s Keith Johnson is the lead writer. Environmental Capital is led by Journal energy reporter Russell Gold, and includes contributions from other writers at the Journal, WSJ.com, and Dow Jones Newswires. Write us at environmentalcapital@wsj.com.